Lot 161
  • 161

An extremely rare and important Bow teapot and cover, circa 1758

Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 GBP
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Description

  • porcelain
  • 12.2cm., 4 3/4 in. high
painted by James Welsh, of globular form with a shell and flower moulded spout and ear shaped handle with acanthus leaf terminals, the body with scroll and foliate moulded cartouches enclosing painted flowers and further moulded flowers picked out in colours, numeral 5 in red enamel.

Provenance

The Oswald Glendenning Collection
Sotheby's, London, 19th December 1947, lot 55
The James McGregor Stewart Collection, Sotheby's, London, 13th November 1973, lot 51
The Shand Kydd Collection, Sotheby's, London, 14th November 1995, lot 251

Literature

Tony Stevenson, 'Some Bow Inkstands', E.C.C Transactions, 1992, vol. 14, part 3, col. pl. XVIIb and pp. 279-80, figs. 21-22.

Condition

There is a flat chip to the inside edge of the flange of the cover.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

The only other known example of a Bow teapot by James Welsh, which is also of this form and painted with an almost identical formation of flowers and insects, is in the collection of the Gardiner Museum, Toronto, object no: G91.4.1-2. Elizabeth Adams and David Redstone write of the painter: "James Welch, a painter, and Elizabeth his wife were at Chelsea in October 1750, when their daughter Elizabeth was baptized; but in the summer of 1754 they were at Bow, where their son Walter was christened", Bow Porcelain, 1981, p. 69.
The identification of porcelains painted by James Welsh begins with the documentary inkwell signed on the foot Ja Welsh, now in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, museum no. C.2-1990. The very individual style of painting on this inkwell can provide the means of identifying unsigned works. A paper read by Tony Stevenson, 'Some Bow Inkstands', E.C.C Transactions, 1993, vol. 14, part. 3, highlights the characteristics of Welsh's work. As a result of this important work by Stevenson it is known that Welsh was active at Bow, employing the numeral 5 as his painter's mark, until his death in 1762. There are now approximately twenty pieces of painted Bow porcelain attributed to James Welsh, which include a square shaped dish and a pair of pierced baskets, one of which bears his painter's numeral 5. A third teapot of this unusual form, left in the white, was sold at Sotheby's Olympia, 19th November 2002, lot 111.